On Thursday, April 10, Donovan’s Pub was packed with Colgate students, community members and students from neighboring colleges eagerly awaiting the arrival of MGMT, a New York City based electronic-rock group who has been stirring up interest all over America.

The concert was the latest in the Donovan’s Thursday Night Pub Concert series, a semester-long series of Thursday evening performances aimed at promoting the music scene on campus as well as reviving the Pub’s original purpose as a concert venue and student hang out. While the concert series usually features a student musician, MGMT provided a special opportunity to draw an even bigger audience.

Despite the energy that grew in the pub while the opening band played trance-electronica, many became frustrated and left while waiting for over an hour and a half for MGMT to come on stage. The band did not take the stage until midnight, well after the set time of 10:30 p.m.

Although the venue emptied out considerably by the time MGMT arrived, those who trooped it out were happy to dance and bob their heads to the noisy synths and trippy pop. The band played the Pub for about an hour and a half, performing many of the cuts from their newest album, Oracular Spectacular.

“It was really frustrating waiting for so long,” sophomore Julia Quintanilla said, who attended the concert. “It showed a total lack of consideration for us, but it ended up being a really fun show anyways.”

Many eagerly awaited MGMT’s appearance on campus. The band has been surrounded by industry buzz for the past few months, making them one of the most well-respected acts to appear at Colgate this semester. They were named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “Artists to Watch” for 2008, and their latest release “Time to Pretend” has been steadily climbing US college radio charts. The five-piece band has also been gaining popularity over seas, particularly in the United Kingdom where the BBC ranked them ninth in the Sound of 2008 Top 10 poll.

MGMT has been praised for their original style, which they displayed in droves at Thursday’s concert. They mix many different styles of music, drawing from rock, pop, electronica and techno, to create a psychedelic mix unlike any other bands currently performing today.

MGMT is currently participating in a nation-wide tour, promoting their new single “Time to Pretend.” The band will be making stops at various colleges and concert venues across the country before hitting large summer music festivals such as Coachella.